N.J. School Cuts Music Program, Nathan Thomas Continues To Teach Violin Free Of Charge

When the public school music program was eliminated at Patterson Public School No. 7, music teacher Nathan Thomas warned his students that he'd be Bach.

"I told the kids to hold on and give me some time to figure out a plan."

Although still unemployed, he returned into their lives by setting up a free Saturday class for the students he was forced to leave.

According to The New Jersey Star-Ledger, Thomas coordinated with a local church to set ongoing weekend classes for the disadvantaged youth he formerly taught at the school. He drives an hour from his home to teach violin, free of charge.

After leading his students through a recent concert, Thomas told their parents that he could not abandon them, even if it wasn't cost-effective.

"As adults we have a very powerful role in the lives of children. Telling them that you are leaving them is difficult and painful. But immediately we decided as a team we were not going to let the fact that I had been laid off keep us from continuing to make music."

Jesus Rolon, a student of Thomas who now participates in the Saturday program, told the Star-Ledger how music made a difference in his life.

"People now believe in me. I'm not just a kid who struggles with his grades. My grades changed. Now I'm an honor roll student. It was life-changing."

WATCH:

In October, the North Jersey Record reported on Thomas' termination. When the students found out that their music classes were cancelled, they e-mailed him to come back.

"I couldn't just ignore them. They wanted to keep playing so I said, 'Fine, we'll do a Christmas concert.'"

According to the Record, the students requested to play the familiar "Minuet 2," by Bach.

Comments

[Goldie Goldwire]

07:03 PM on 02/04/2011

I know Nathan, he was laid off with me, and he taught in my bldg. I just got off the phone with him, he didn't even know the story was on Huffpo.

He said he was shocked and amazed at the outpouring of support but all he wants to do is go back to work and teach the kids who need him (me too).

Sadly Paterson, has eliminated all music, art, library, computers and foreign language. The city is not in compliance with state and federal mandates for the core content curriculum. Obviously as long as the city is under state control and the state doesn't seem to care to enforce their own guidelines, none of us will be called back to work.

If anyone wants to donate to help maintain the violins you can send a check or M.O. to

St. Bonaventure Church
174 Ramsey Street
Paterson, NJ 07501

Please put 'Paterson Strings" in the memo line so the funds can be directed to the program.

He is working with the church to keep stringent records of the funds, now that people have been asking if they can help pay for repairs and keep the program running.

[umbrarchist]

07:12 PM on 02/03/2011

I think that is really cool and I hope he gets employed but music education is in trouble in this economy but I suppose it always was low on the list of priorities.

But it is strange that we don't hear A LOT about computers used with USB/Midi piano keyboards for music training. The training is very expensive from live teachers compared to the cost of the electronic equipment now. The question is, "what is the best software?" How many latent brilliant musicians are out there who just never got the exposure?

http://pianoeducation.org/pnosoftr.html.

[Theresa Schneider]

03:42 PM on 02/08/2011

Sounds like it wouldn't have made much difference at Paterson, since they state that the computer instructors were laid off, along with the music teachers.

[Marcilliane M Basso]

07:35 AM on 02/03/2011

I hate to see any school program shut down, its so sad and a great injustice to all students, their choices are bring taken away. Its funny how the administrators in some school districts make a butt load of cash for their salarys' but programs like these are cut instead of their paychecks. NOT FAIR!! You want to save money, cut administartion salaries, they work their butts off to get into a higher postion and then turn totally uselss, what a waste of time I say!

[Julien Henry]

11:27 PM on 02/02/2011

According to Governor Christie it is teacher like this who are destroying the state.....

[carmenalex]

02:58 PM on 02/02/2011

Teabaggers wanna keep you dumb. they don't appreciate the arts because they can't understand.

[zsu262]

08:44 AM on 02/03/2011

I think they don't understand it, since art is in the eye of the beholder, and even though they can sensor it, they can't stop us from calling it "art."
Rock on Mr. Thomas... the world needs more teachers like you. Not everything a child learns is standard textbook material. Diversity in education is highly needed.

GIVE THE MAN BACK HIS JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[corwin]

04:55 PM on 02/03/2011

Or, because there's a limited amount of money,and choices must be made.Don't take it badly you didn't think of this,Some of my best friends were Liberal Arts majors ,and they've never had to learn critical thought And,now it's probably too late for them

[kve]

11:20 AM on 02/02/2011

Playing a musical instrument improves your intelligence. At age 52, I started learning jazz/blues violin. I recently played something by ear and noticed shortly afterwards that I started thinking several more moves ahead while playing a software card game.

And as a side note, exercise/physical play is necessary for a growing brain to process new information.

We should never eliminate so-called extracurricular activities from education, because they are not extra.

[corwin]

04:59 PM on 02/03/2011

Diffidently, I want to point out,no one has found anything (unless the patient has ,say a levothyroxine deficit,or something like that ) that increases intelligence.If there were anything to increase intelligence,generations of inner city kids would have been helped.Although it may frighten you,and force you to learn unpleasant information, I recommend the Bell Curve .

[leftbehind2000]

10:32 AM on 02/02/2011

Waiting for Superman or Superwoman? You can find one in any school in America. It's time we sent the politicians and business-centric, ideological axe grinders back to the holes from which they came, and find better and more equitable ways to fund our nation's public schools. There are many, many great teachers out there. Unfortunately, many are in failing schools that continue to suffer severe budget cuts and reduction in staff and services. Moreover, the political carpetbaggers who run our nation's educational system know little about what it takes to achieve successful learning, instead enforcing "teach to the test" demands that rob our students of the love of knowledge and true enrichment, while doing little to grant real learning that will last them a lifetime.

Kudos to Mr. Thomas for not walking away from his students, even when America did.

[eceresa]

08:29 AM on 02/02/2011

This is one of those teachers we're always reading about who's "just in it for the paycheck," right?

Good for him. But he shouldn't have to do it for free.

[noot]

08:14 AM on 02/02/2011

Kudos to Mr. Thomas, the students, the students and the parents. And yes even the school district for at least allowing the students to retain use of the instruments.

And to the church that opened its doors to them.

Around 1778 Thomas Jefferson lamented "....Music... is the favorite passion of my soul, and fortune has cast my lot in a country where it is in a state of deplorable barbarism....The bounds of an American fortune will not admit the indulgence of a domestic band of musicians, yet I have thought that a passion for music might be reconciled with the economy which we are obliged to observe."

If fundraising is established for this troupe of artists, I hope HP posts a link for it.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

[PatchyFog]

08:10 AM on 02/02/2011

Good for you, Nathan! Shame on administrators!

There is a mountain of research evidence, old and new, that can literally pinpoint areas of the brain that respond to and develop from participation in the visual and performing arts, as well as in sports and math and social studies. They are ALL needed because they meet and form neurological connections that help develop a well balanced, highly efficient, intuitive, and productive human being.

As an analogy, think what happens to people who consume food with limited nutritional value or food highly concentrated in one or another nutrient. Without the balance, quirks appear in the body and mind. By eliminating music or other 'soft' subjects in our intellectual diets, humans succumb to a type of emotional-mental scurvy. You can witness those suffering with the affliction at school board meetings; they're the ones missing teeth.

[mlkx]

05:17 AM on 02/02/2011

wonderful teacher! You are inspiring.

I wish the politicians and administrators understood and valued the connection arts education (music, visual and all performing arts) has on intellectual, creative, emotional and social development. When the arts are cut the impact is not just on the arts, its on the very development of our future generations.

[oksanaandjoy]

03:39 AM on 02/02/2011

Nathan Thomas is an inspiration, and as a musician i'm touched. As a music teacher however, i find this frightening. The realisation that the only way these kids will receive an education in music is if someone who cares freely give his time, puts tremendous pressure on teachers and, in a way, downgrades our profession even further. choosing to teach for the love and not the money is not a choice we should have to make.

[jourdankr]

09:23 PM on 02/01/2011

As a music educator, this story brings tears to my eyes. Bless this teacher and let us all hope more people realize that science and math can save lives, but art and music makes life worth living.

[zsu262]

08:47 AM on 02/03/2011

Bravo!!

[SeptimusDSX]

08:03 PM on 02/01/2011

Music is beautiful and pure. Very sad to hear that music programs are being slashed.

[drmcnugget]

07:50 PM on 02/01/2011

Though I applaud Nathan's admirable sense of duty to his students, I worry that people like Gov. Christie will take Nathan's commitment as what should be expected of all teachers. Soon, Christie won't want to pay us at all and expect teachers to become an entirely volunteer army -- even more so than we already are.

[Goldie Goldwire]

07:49 PM on 02/04/2011

Actually this should shame Christie, because in spite of what he has said about greedy teachers who only care about the checks, and not the kids (especially the kids most in need) Nathan refutes the whole argument.

I believe he said in the article that all he wanted was to go back to work in Paterson.

The horrible part is Paterson has the money - they received over 14 million in stimulus money this fall but for some reason they refuse to call any of us specials teachers back.

The irony is this is an urban district, these kids already have disadvantages and you now make it even more glaring when you can't provide fair and equal arts education to every student in the state, AND ITS STATE MANDATED. Even NCLB has music and arts requirements. A whole lot of lip service and very little to show.

Ssdly, the parents in Paterson are not as politically saavy as other towns so no one has even thought of filing a complaint. This is such a breach of equal education.